Articles

Justices urged to clear Putnam Co. prosecutor over undisclosed testimony deal

The elected Putnam County prosecutor should not be disciplined for accusations that he failed to disclose a deal for testimony from a witness who claimed he was wrongly identified, placing him in danger behind bars as a “snitch.”  The hearing officer in Timothy Bookwalter’s attorney discipline case said the prosecutor violated no rules, should not be punished and urged the Indiana Supreme Court to re-examine the ethical duties of prosecutors.

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DTCI: Life lesson from a year in prison: Don’t take it personally

Nearly 30 years ago, between college and law school, I spent a year of my life in prison — working that is — as a correctional officer for the Indiana Department of Correction. While the work was anything but glamorous, I have always appreciated that experience, where I learned more than a couple of important lessons.

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Inmates seek prison release due to COVID-19

Almost immediately after the coronavirus reached the United States, criminal justice advocates sounded the alarm on behalf of the incarcerated. Inmates in county jails, state prisons and federal penitentiaries are at a higher risk of contracting the virus, advocates say, simply because of the nature of their living conditions. The result of release efforts has been a mixed bag.

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ACLU seeks info on COVID-19 risk in jails and prisons

Highlighting new epidemiological models that show as many as 200,000 inmates could die from COVID-19, the American Civil Liberties Union of Indiana has joined the ACLU National, the ACLU Foundation and more than 30 affiliates in filing public records requests to get information about coronavirus outbreaks in prisons and jails.

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